Talking Heroes
by LadySmith
Summary: Stykera Playing Superhero Sidekick Questions Heroism, Courage. Major PK Wars spoilers. John&Stark friendship.


Title: Talking Heroes  
Characters: Stark, and Chrichton, sort of.  
Spoilers: PK Wars.  
Rating: G  
Word Count: 100 + 100 + 100 + 100 + 100 + 100 + 100 700.  
Synopsis: Stykera Playing Superhero Sidekick Questions Heroism, Courage

**Stykera**

One of the really irritating things about being Stykera is that you have many many many other people running around in your head. One of the really useful things about being a Stykera is that, when you achieve a certain amount of control, and inner peace, you can chase them down and ask them questions. It's hard, and takes a lot of concentration, but compared to, oh, say, regrowing half your face and being able to allow the energies to flow at will, _through_ your corporeal skin, it's _candy_.

One day, when you've got nothing better to do, you do.

**Playing**

The human isn't hard to find; he's with the Scarrans. There's an awful lot of Scarrans in here. He's been teaching them to play "Bayz-boll".

"_Baseball_, man! We're in your head, why do you gotta be all 'hooked on phonics' on me? There's a _ball_, and you throw it between the _bases_. How hard is that?"

Oh good, he's in an explaining mood. Maybe because you're not being attacked or dying. There's nothing for spare time like death. Maybe he just misses Aeryn.

So you put the two of you in a Banik teaching hut, and ask your first question.

**Superhero**

He laughs.

"Yeah, okay, I guess it's time to come clean."

The world around you falls to bright, loud colours and a figure, small and angular and stylized, zips out from white-speckled blue.

"Astroboy. See the red and yellow? Reminds me of the outfit Zhaan got you."

Yes, yes, but… is that all? Who _is_ he?

"He's… a hero. A little boy. A robot. Never had anything but love in him, and he saved people, even though he wasn't one. He wasn't supposed to have feelings, but he did."

And that's _you_.

"Yeah," he smiles, "I guess it is."

**Sidekick**

He's not telling you everything, you can tell.

Astroboy, and… who's Astro?

He looks guilty, tries to leave, but it _is_ your head. The white speckles get larger, everything's more stylized, and another figure comes out. Four footed, grey, and absurd, it bounds up, lands on you, and licks your face.

"Riya, Rark!"

A dog. A _pet_. And it talks funny.

"Uh, yeah. George – he's my favorite spaceman – got convinced to keep him by his son, and he gets George into a _ton_ of trouble and he's annoying…."

The human grins apologetically. "But he's awful cute."

And that's you too.

**Questions**

He turns to go, but you have more questions for him.

That confuses him. "What, you wanna know about Buckwheat…"

Maybe later. There's time. But today is about indulging yourself. You haven't in a long time, and it's what not being a slave _is_.

"Okay, sure."

Johnny Appleseed.

"I never called you..."

No. John Crichton did.

"Oh._ Him_." He looks unhappy. "I kinda forgot he's still out there."

He is.

And you show him, show him war and wormholes and Jool Eidolons Arnesk peace and death and oh, D'argo, and life and Aeryn and _oh_, D'argo….

He's crying, grateful tears.

**Heroism**

He sings for you.

And while he sings, the world turns into cartoons again, even brighter. There's a man, who refuses to make war, makes his life about good growing things. He wanders his world, at peace with everything in it, making it better and more hopeful for his having been there.

Thank the Lord, the Goddess, for giving me, forgiving me, sun and rain and all I need….

It's perfect. It breaks your heart with joy.

But it's not you.

It's Zhaan.

He smiles at you.

"Zhaan _is_ you. Part of you. Always."

And you know, it's perfectly true.

**Courage**

This time, the grateful tears are yours.

You don't even notice when he leaves, but you know he is smiling when he does.

Later, when you come outside yourself again, and you're sitting naked in a forest with good growing things around you, you realize that you forgot to ask about the Lion and Courage.

But you think maybe, just maybe, you know that one already. And you smile.

You get up, and put on your old but sturdy clothes, and pick up your meager things, and start walking.

You have work to do.

Seeds to plant.

Hope to grow.


End file.
